Introduction
Holly Lapsley Fletcher (born 7 August 1996), known by the stage name Låpsley, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. Her debut album Long Way Home was released on 4 March 2016.
Early life
Låpsley was born in York. Her middle name, Lapsley, is her mother's maiden name. She changed "Lapsley" to "Låpsley" by adding the Scandinavian character Å, partly due to her perceived ties with Scandinavia through her Scottish heritage, as well as how it looked when written. She grew up in Southport, Merseyside, where she attended Greenbank High School and Formby High School for sixth form.
Career
2013–present
Having been a member of several bands in the Merseyside area, Låpsley won the "One to Watch" prize at Merseyside's GIT (Getintothis) Award in April 2014, following over half a million listens of her solo bedroom-recorded Monday EP on SoundCloud. She played the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury Festival in June 2014, having been championed by BBC Radio 1 DJ's Huw Stephens and Zane Lowe. Her track Painter (Valentine) was playlisted by BBC Radio 1 in September 2014 and received daytime airplay.
Låpsley signed with XL Recordings in October 2014. On 30 November 2014, Låpsley was revealed as one of acts on the BBC Sound of...2015 long list. Her Understudy EP was released on 5 January 2015. Her debut album, Long Way Home, was released on 4 March 2016. She performed at Lollapalooza in July 2016.
In April 2016, she was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month and was featured on NBC's Today show hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, broadcast nationally, where she performed live her single "Love Is Blind". In 2016, the track "8896" by Låpsley was included in the sound track of American Honey, directed by Andrea Arnold. In the same year, track "Falling Short" was included in season one of Harlan Coben's The Five (TV series), during the final scene of episode 4, directed by Mark Tonderai.
Personal life
Låpsley enjoys yachting and owns a boat called Theodore. On 28 June 2020, she came out as bisexual in an Instagram post. In exchanges on Instagram, Låpsley has stated that she is studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at Goldsmiths University.
During the 2024 UK general election, the Labour Party used Better Times by Låpsley and KC Lights as a soft campaign song, and she sang it live to a Keir Starmer rally on 29 June.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | BEL(FL) | CAN | GER | NL | IRL | SWE | SWI | US | ||
| Long Way Home |
| 32 | 75 | 20 | 70 | 83 | 59 | 92 | 54 | 76 | 196 |
| Through Water |
| — | — | 193 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cautionary Tales of Youth |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Monday |
|
| Understudy |
|
| These Elements |
|
| A Guilty Heart Can Never Rest |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | UKIndie | BEL(FL) | BEL(WA) | CANDL | JPN | ||||
| "Station" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Long Way Home | |
| "Painter (Valentine)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Falling Short" | 122 | 6 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Brownlow" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Understudy EP | |
| "Hurt Me" | 170 | 9 | 8 | — | 29 | 74 |
| Long Way Home | |
| "Love Is Blind" | 2016 | — | 29 | 43 | — | — | — | ||
| "Operator (He Doesn't Call Me)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "My Love Was Like the Rain" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | These Elements and Through Water | |
| "Ligne 3" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Womxn" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Through Water | |
| "Speaking of the End" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Make U Stay" (with Sega Bodega) | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "32 Floors" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Cautionary Tales of Youth | |
| "Dial Two Seven" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Smoke and Fire" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Hotel Corridors" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "4am Ascension Day" | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | A Guilty Heart Can Never Rest | |
| "Popstar" (with Alice Ivy) | — | — | — | — | — | — | Do What Makes You Happy | ||
| "Build a Man" | — | — | — | — | — | — | A Guilty Heart Can Never Rest | ||
| "Angeles" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Stolen Glances" (with Franky Wah) | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Station" | 2014 | Mike Brits | |
| "Painter (Valentine)" | Harvey Pearson | ||
| "Falling Short" | Noel Paul | ||
| "Brownlow" | 2015 | Cherise Payne and Låpsley | |
| "Hurt Me" | Cherise Payne | ||
| "Love Is Blind" | 2016 | ||
| "Operator (DJ Koze Radio Edit)" | |||
| "My Love Was Like The Rain" | 2019 | Camille Summers-Valli | |
| "Womxn" | 2020 | Jane Stockdale | |
| "Hotel Corridors" | 2023 | ||
| "Dial Two Seven" | |||
| "4am Ascension Day" | 2024 | ||
| "Build a Man" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Organisation | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | GIT (Getintothis) | One to Watch | Won |
| 2015 | BBC | Sound of...2015 | Nominated |
| 2016 | NME | Best New Artist | Nominated |